Holding Your Heart Within Mine
by LadyMeringue
Summary: When love is in the air, even the heavens make sure to etch the memory of that one, particular confession in your life forever. And the hearts exchanged in the process are only held within the other one's own furiously beating one. IshVeer one-shot. :)


**Holding Your Heart within Mine**

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 **A/N: Het there everyone! :D :D I won't be writing much in the note, except for the fact that this story have been co-authored by several of my friends along with me.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I only own partial parts of the story and the basic editing in grammar. Also, I've changed the original title of the story to suit my taste a bit.**

 **Happy Reading! :D :D**

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It was a stormy night. Ranveer and Ishaani were heading back home from their college. They were late because of the dance practices for the upcoming play in the university. Ishaani's family wasn't worried because they knew Ishaani was with Ranveer. Ranveer was not only their driver but he was also the best of friends with Ishaani. Therefore, Ranveer went to same college for studies where Ishaani took admission. He would attend college in the morning and worked for the Parekh family in the evening.

"Ranveer, I hope we reach home on time," Ishaani asked worriedly, seeing the thunder and rain outside from the car window.

"Ishaani, don't worry. I am there. I will make you reach on time." Saying this, Ranveer speeded up. Suddenly, their car came to a screeching halt. Ranveer wondered what happened to the car. Looking towards Ishaani, he spoke softly.

"I'll check the car. You stay inside." He checked the car as the rain started falling. Seeing it raining like that, Ishaani couldn't resist and came out of the car and started feeling it. Ranveer then came and said irritably.

"Why did you come out from the car when I told you not to? Ishaani smiled at Ranveer and said coolly.

"Chill, Ranveer. It's raining and you know how much I love rain."

Ranveer was about to say something but stopped seeing her enjoying. Seeing her smile always made his heart skip several beats. They were both silent for a while. Ishaani looked at Ranveer and jokingly said. "I think car did not agree with your statement," speaking which, she started giggling.

Ranveer was astonished at Ishaani's reaction and spoke slowly, his tone bewildered. "Your car stopped and you're laughing?" Ishaani was chilled out as she replied.

"You are there to take care of me why should I worry, you just said that, nah? Let's see what happened to the car."

It rained heavily as they headed towards the car to see what had happened. Ishaani looked at Ranveer adoringly as a friendly smile crept over her face while he continued to examine the engine of the car. "Is there anything wrong?" she asked.

"Yes. I mean no. It's not a big deal. Wai-" Ranveer fumbled being mesmerized by her beauty and her blazing eyes. A strange look appeared over his features as he was trying to fix up the car, and felt disgruntled by the fact that he couldn't concentrate, because he couldn't help himself for the fact that his eyes were constantly fluttering towards Ishaani, looking at the way Ishaani was enjoying herself all drenched up in the rain.

How much Ishaani loved the rain, the more she was allergic to it. Ishaani started sneezing heavily soon enough. Ranveer, who was engrossed in repairing the car, got distracted hearing Ishaani's sneezes. He rushed towards her and held her by her shoulders, asking with concern. "What happened Ishaani? You okay?" Sneezing once again, she groaned sadly.

"Ugh, I've caught a cold I guess. Now what is Papa going to say?"

Ranveer looked at her with concern, as the frequency of her sneezes were only increasing by the minute and he could not really understand what was wrong with the car. Ranveer looked around and saw that the road was deserted. Sighing, he removed his phone from the pocket to call the Parekh mansion to ask for another car to be brought, when a frustrated growl left him. There was no network available.

Ranveer looked here and there for some help and also at the same time was worried about Ishaani. Suddenly his eyes felt on a cottage kind of thing opposite the roadside. Ranveer looked at Ishaani, who was now beginning to shiver violently from the combined effect of the increasing cold and continuous sneezing and spoke to her gently.

"Ishaani, there isn't any network in my phone and I don't think there is anything we can do now except wait. There is a cottage opposite the road. Maybe we could wait over there for some time. Right now, just sit in the car and warm yourself up a bit, while I go and find out about the cottage."

Ishaani looked nervous and quickly took out her phone to check for the network, but in vain. She nodded half-hearted at Ranveer as she went and sat in the car but before Ranveer could leave her, she caught hold of his wrist.

"Promise me that you will never leave me alone." Ranveer looked surprised, but smiled gently at her.

"Never ever." Giving a reassuring smile to Ishaani, Ranveer quickly shut the door of the car and took his umbrella and ran towards the cottage that could very well become their refuge for the night. It took him five minutes to reach the cottage. It was as deserted as the road in that stormy night. He looked around to find a clue of any living being but in vain.

"Hello!" he shouted loudly, "Anybody home?" No sound returned his question. "Is this the safe place to get Ishaani here?" he thought to himself. "Safer than the roadside, for sure." he concluded after two minutes of confusion. He set out to get Ishaani there. The cottage was deserted.

Ranveer walked around in all the three rooms it had. There was not a soul nor any indication of anyone having lived there recently. He wondered what to do. Ranveer was confused. The house looked safe enough for the two of them to spend the night in the cottage, but then again, he could not be entirely sure about it and whether Ishaani would actually agree for such an arrangement. He knew that she had very high and orthodox morals when it came to things like these and he himself wasn't overly happy about it. But desperate times called for desperate measure.

Setting out to fetch Ishaani once again, he reached the car and explained the entire scenario to her. Just like he expected, she wasn't happy in the least about the arrangements, but she knew that the deserted cottage was anytime safer than the roads. Grudgingly, she got down from the car and took along with her the emergency kit from the dickey that would suffice them for the night.

On their way to cottage Ishaani was shivering a lot. Ranveer wanted to help her by hugging her tight but their friendship was coming in the way of his thoughts. He just wanted to see her safe and sound. Therefore he increased the speed of walking towards their way to cottage.

The moment Ishaani entered the cottage, she stopped shivering violently, even though her teeth were still chattering. Ranveer quickly opened the emergency bag and removed a large towel from it and wrapped it around Ishaani's shoulder, so that she could dry herself properly, without falling too sick. Ranveer himself felt the bitter cold cut in his skin, for he could never bear being in so much contact with water, especially rains, but his worries could wait. Ishaani's wellbeing was his main priority right now.

The towel helped Ishaani to stop shivering and the sneezes also reduced. But suddenly, Ranveer started sneezing. Seeing this Ishaani burst into fits of laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" Ranveer asked Ishaani confusingly with a shivering voice.

"I guess you need this towel now." Saying this Ishaani came very close to Ranveer and started rubbing his hair with the towel. As usual, Ranveer felt something electric course through him at the touch of Ishaani's hands touching him. But Ishaani just smiled at him and kept wiping off his hair until it was completely ruffled up, to which she gave out another hearty laugh. "Ranveer, you look like a dog who didn't want to bathe!" Ishaani giggled.

Ranveer laughed too. As he looked at her, she thought his eyes looked like a puppy's too. But she dared not say that. Then He just kept looking at her and felt his heart warming up and the love he had for her stirring inside him and the comment she gave him made him laugh and feel shy at once. The happiness at hearing her laugh and her touch was making him feel emotions he had always kept in side him.

Ranveer scowled at her comment and Ishaani laughed once again, a very carefree note in her laughter that always manage to melt Ranveer's problems away in a minute. He smiled at her, in the same way he always did when she was too busy being happy than to notice anyone around her.

When she finally turned to stare at him, her laughter died down eventually, as Ranveer stared at her with the same intensity of love and loyalty that he always proudly showed in his eyes and somehow, all Ishaani could do was admire the way his innocent brown eyes twinkled in the bright light of the cottage.

"Ranveer, what will we eat? I'm hungry!" Ishaani said.

Ranveer remembered that he had some theplas in his tiffin in the college bag. But the bag was in the car and it would need another trip outside in the incessant rain. On his way back after taking the food from the car, Ranveer was running because the rains were getting faster. However, while running, Ranveer's legs hit a big stone on the roadside, causing him to tumbled down and hurt himself on the legs and arms.

A growl of pain escaped Ranveer's lips as he tried to get back on his feet, while his new shirt was completely ruined due to the rains, mud marks and rips on his arm from where his shirt had torn and blood was escaping, getting diluted with the steadily pounding rains. Ranveer sighed in relief, however, when he saw that the tiffin had somehow managed to stay intact, despite the nasty fall.

The moment Ranveer stood up, he felt his knees buckle beneath him but managed to catch the bark of the nearest tree for support. His legs felt a sharp jab of pain as he tried to walk and Ranveer was more than certain that he had sprained his ankle. Muttering at his misfortune of having got caught up in such a situation and having ruined his best shirt, Ranveer made his way limping to the cottage, so that Ishaani could atleast have something to eat.

After all this pain somehow though he managed to walk towards the cottage. The moment he reached the gate of the cottage his legs gave up and he fell down again this time shouting out with pain too. Hearing him shout Ishaani, who was trying to set fire in the fireplace, got scared and looked towards the door. Seeing Ranveer all decked up in mud and blood marks on his shirt and jeans made Ishaani feel terrified.

Ishaani noticed Ranveer's disheveled state and immediately made him lie down on one of the couches in the room. Keeping the tiffin aside, she quickly struggled finding for something in the bag, before she removed the First Aid box from it. Ranveer looked at her surprised and was about to speak before Ishaani glared at him like a fierce cat.

Ishaani walked up to him and asked him to take off his shirt. Ranveer looked at her embarrassed at first, before Ishaani glared at him harder and he quickly took it off so that Ishaani could inspect his wounds. The cuts on his arm was not deep, but it was a huge gash that had a lot of small stones and wood pieces splintered in it.

Ishaani brought a bowl of water that was kept in one of the rooms and started washing Ranveer's wounds. Ranveer yelled loudly as the water stung his wounds severely and half bit his lips in pain until it started bleeding too, as Ishaani started removing the foreign particles from his wounds.

Every time Ishaani cleaned one wound, Ranveer would growl in pain. Ishaani was not able to see her best friend like this. She was feeling guilty that she had sent him out again. On the other hand, Ranveer couldn't help but stare at her lovingly. She looked more beautiful when she was closer to him. And the moon light that fell on her face made her face glow more.

Ranveer stared at the way the moonlight kept glistening on Ishaani's face as the latter's face was screwed up in concentration while she was tying up the bandage on his arm. The moonlight made Ishaani's eyes sparkle all the more and made her look much more beautiful. Ranveer forgot about his pain as he stared into her eyes, oblivious to any of his sufferings, for all that mattered to him was her safety and security.

Ishaani looked up at him finally and saw him staring at her, with an innocent smile on his face. She looked guilty and tried to avert her gaze from his, but somehow, his chocolate eyes seemed to have been giving her a warmth that even the cozy atmosphere of the cottage was unable to give her.

Ranveer's stare was making Ishaani uncomfortable but at the same time she felt like this moment shouldn't stop and they continued staring at each other. Their eyes locked with each other's for quite some time until a loud sound of thunder disturbed their sweetest moment. The thunder was loud enough that Ishaani actually jumped and ended up hugging Ranveer tightly.

Ranveer was startled, for their eye lock barely been interrupted and Ishaani was holding on to him as though there was no tomorrow. But he smiled as he started patting her head awkwardly, for he knew that she was very afraid of lightning. Ishaani seemed to be shivering once again in his arms, but not because of the cold rains, but in fright.

Ranveer did not know for how long he held her this way before his wounded arm went limp and dangled down useless. This managed to snap Ishaani back to her senses.

"What happened, Ranveer? Does it hurt badly?" asked Ishaani in a frightened tone looking at his arm and also trying to hide the shyness of what just transpired between them.

"Just a little." Said Ranveer, keeping his other hand on his arms.

"Lie down and take some rest," Ishaani said this while getting up and trying to make Ranveer lie on the couch.

"No, it is okay, Ishaani. I am fine." Ranveer said quickly, while resisting Ishaani's suggestion to sleep.

"I don't wanna hear anything, Ranveer, you are sleeping." Ishaani ordered him and made him lay down.

While Ishaani was leaving from there, her bangle got caught with one of the opened strings of the thread which tied on Ranveer's wrist. Due to this she felt a jerk and she fell on his bare chest which also resulted of their lips being touched unintentionally and they ended up giving each other a kiss.

Both of them were stunned with this sudden development. In so many years they were never aware of each other's physical presence like at that moment. Both felt their faces reddening.

Thankfully there was little light in the room for them to see each other's faces and the embarrassment. They were embarrassed of what just happened between them but at the same time they were happy and shocked too. Ishaani, for the first time realized what she actually felt for Ranveer. She started realizing her true feelings for his childhood friend. She always loved his presence in her life but that one moment made her realize that yes she loves him too and wants to be in his arms lifelong.

Ranveer, who always loved Ishaani since he was 9 years old, that moment felt like heaven for him and he wished to have Ishaani in his life. And wanted to make her his life.

There was a sudden tenseness in the air, something that had never been there ever before between them. It was as though some kind of tension was building up around them, inside their hearts, for that one innocently unintentional moment had brought about a wide variation of emotions.

Startled and embarrassed at first both of them separated themselves from each other and Ranveer heeded Ishaani's advice and tried to go to sleep but in vain. In his mind, the same crackling sensation kept giving him goosebumps over and over again and his heart seemed to have been beating irregularly.

Ishaani, on the other hand, tried to eat the thepla that Ranveer had brought her, but she could no longer swallow it and she felt as though the hunger was snatched away from her. She absent mindedly kept touching her lips, until she felt too stunned to think about anything else and closed the tiffin, hoping that they could have these theplas for the next day maybe.

As the thunder kept cracking noises like a whip, Ishaani didn't dare to hide herself in Ranveer's arms for refuge for the moment that had just happened between them seemed to have been suspended overhead about her, her conscience guilty even though it was just an accident.

Funny, how a silly little incident could change the dynamics and atmosphere of the room within a spur of 5 minutes. Still she couldn't help stealing glances at him, his outline clearly visible in the combination of the silvery moonlight and the faint yellow flames of the fire she had lit.

It was obvious that he was trying hard to sleep.

After gathering much courage in her, Ishaani got up from her place and started walking slowly towards Ranveer. Ranveer with his eyes closed could sense her coming near him and with that he tries closing his eyes even harder. Ishaani dint wanted to stop herself today. She thought, "If I don't confess how I feel about him today, I won't be able to do so for the rest of my life as well. I don't know what Ranveer feels about me. But today I will tell him how I feel about him," Thinking this, she went and stood beside Ranveer's couch.

The rain and thunder had finally stopped. But somehow, Ranveer still seemed to be restless, turning his head in a toss and turn over the cushion, while he seemed to be moaning something.

Ishaani, who couldn't sleep in this din, noticed Ranveer's discomfort and walked up to him and sat beside him. She gasped, however, when she realized that Ranveer was crying in his sleep, moaning something inaudible.

All of a sudden, Ranveer yelled as through strangled with pain and started pleading at the top of his voice.

"Mota Babuji, please… please… I didn't mean to… I didn't mean to… I'm sorry... I'm sorry…"

Ishaani looked at him alarmed, as Ranveer began to writhe even harder and Ishaani tried to shake him awake, but Ranveer still kept on crying and pleading, until he suddenly shot up awake, his head covered in sweat and tears streaming from his face and Ishaani came into view once again.

"What's wrong, Ranveer? Were you having a nightmare?" Ishaani hugged him and tried to soothe him while saying this.

Ranveer embraced Ishaani and tightened the grip around her, not letting her go.

"I… I..." Ranveer started fumbling

"It's alright… You are alright. See I'm right here," said Ishaani still holding Ranveer in her embrace.

After few seconds Ranveer got calmer and both came out from their embrace. This hug made their need for each other grew even more. How they wished that it doesn't end and they stay in each other's arms for the entire life.

Both unaware of each other's feeling were dying out of shyness thinking about what all is happening to them that night. First that kiss and now this hug. And still what's in store of them for that night. The night was not ending and they dint even wanted to end.

Ranveer looked at Ishaani uncertainly as though not knowing what to expect next. The night had taken the most extraordinary turn of events and both Ishaani and Ranveer were still coming to terms with everything that happened.

Suddenly, without any notice, Ishaani left Ranveer's side and walked up to the window, where the dawn's first signs were already showing in the sky. Ranveer stared at her for several moments, before making up his mind.

Walking up to Ishaani, he stood beside her near the window and turned her towards him. Ishaani did not look surprised by this gesture, but her eyes held an eagerness that could be easily seen.

Ranveer had always thought of this moment happening in several ways with the best of clothes and the best of words, but nothing occurred to him at this moment. So, he decided to move on the simplest mode of action.

Taking Ishaani's hand within his own, he looked at her deep with his eyes and muttered the words as soulfully as he could.

"I love you."

The moment those words came out tears started showing up in Ishaani's eyes. Ranveer got scared that maybe he said something he should not have. He was imagining many outcomes of his proposal but Ishaani remained silent. Tears started falling from her eyes.

Ranveer got scared and slowly said Ishaani I love you but I don't expect you to love me back because I know you just think of me as a friend but I can't hide this anymore. I love you from every depth of my heart and today you know.

Slowly he turned back with the sinking feeling in his heart but suddenly Ishaani held his hand and pulled him back. Then slowly as he turned he saw her face. Tears was falling from her eyes but they also expressed an immense happiness which could not be explained.

Hearing those soulful words, a loving smile made its course on Ishaani's face and she felt as if heaven was there for her just there and then.

"I love you too, Ranveer". This time, both finally embraced each other, their hug was not due to any embarrassment but out of love.

After breaking their hug, Ranveer cupped Ishaani's face in his hands, before claiming her lips with his once again, this time with much more ease. Ishaani drowned herself in the moment as well, wishing that it never ceased.

The light of the dawn fell on them, as beautiful and poured as their love. Ranveer looked at her mesmerized by the pink orange hue reflected in her face, while she tried to fathom the depth of the love in his eyes.

They didn't speak a word. But the silence said it all. Even though there were several unsaid things left between them, silence was the one thing that managed to say it all, for they had always learnt to read and understand each other through the other's silence rather than words.

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 **Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D**


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